PR Connection 10: Bollywood Actress Utilizes Twitter April 26, 2010

Shilpa Sheety, a Bollywood Actress is the talk of controversial celebrities. In the new today the actress is all over the pages of everything from losing sleep to some impropriety over she and her husband’s partial ownership of the Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals.

She is using twitter to her advantage as her tweets are up there with the best of celebrity cryptic messages. She has come to this celebrity status because she is one of the most celebrated models and actresses in India, as well as most controversial and evidently diverse. She is an award winning actress and model, and married to millionaire Raj Kundra, who is allegedly tied to the Indian mafia. She has also has suspected romantic episodes with Richard Gere.

But now the new uproar is over whether her and her husband actually own even a tiny bit of the IPL Royals or not. By using her social networking resources she tweeted to her 47, 984 fans assurances that she and Rag are actually part owners and she is the ambassador of the team.

This celebrity is supposedly the judge of a new reality show, and is still considered the number one Bollywood bombshell. Her lifestyle is busy and she is always under scrutiny but gladly these social websites let people know how she handles it all.

PR Connection 9: BlackBerry Is Making A Comeback

Research In Motion (RIM) has made some hints towards major changes with its next generation of BlackBerry phones, with images of revised devised and insinuations of upcoming news regarding its OS and browser offerings. Hopes are high for a BlackBerry update that makes the smart phones more competitive with the likes of iPhones and Android-supported devices.

Two new devices were unveiled, the Bold 9650 and the Pearl 3G. The Bold has been long-awaited because of the Wi-Fi support and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The updated BlackBerry Pearl also offers a SureType keyboard with two configuration options, and urn BlackBerry OS 5.0.

As business-centric devices, Blackberry phones have maintained a certain image for quite some time, and most departures from that image have returned bad results. RIM’s attempt at a touch screen phone fell short, and the app marketplace seems even more controlled and contrived than Apple’s.

But the growth of mobile app marketplaces is making the appeal of certain smart phones that make is much harder for consumers to ignore, and the economy that is arising as a result is making the business factors difficult for companies such as RIM to avoid.

Finding a way to maintain brand loyalty to existing customers while also developing a new line of electronics causes the company to feel as if they are walking on a tight rope. Because if they move too far in one direction, they will fall so there must be a sense of balancing both new and old consumers wants and needs while maintaing the reputation of the company.

PR Connection 8: Nintendo DS, A rip off?

Apparently, the brain-training games for Nintendo DS are not all what they are hyped up to be. A study from the UK Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brian Sciences Unit indicated that playing such games don’t really help you to improve your metal agility. If that is such the case, then the question stands: Why are game developers and device manufacturers making so much money from the relatively new game genre?

The CBSU proceeded to look at results from participants that played brain-training games, and put them against the result of those that answered general-knowledge questions on the internet. And the results shows that there wasn’t much of a difference between the two groups’ results, and there wasn’t that much brain function improvement either.

Although the study doesn’t really tell us much else, there are currently efforts underway to look at results over a longer period of time, and more specifically towards the prevention of debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Seeing as brain-training games are generally though to be a good way to keep your brain active, all while learning to love the electronic device that seems to hold your kids’ attention more than anything else going on in the real world.

But the downside of video games remains, including the eye train, wrist problems, and countless other issues that arise from the long-term use of hand-held game systems. Of course, these problems arise with our regular use of laptop and desktop computers, cell phones, televisions, and nearly every other type of consumer electronic product that’s out on the market. Finding a way to have the benefits outweigh the costs is where marketers and developers team up.

Such marketing has moved to other game systems to help improve your health. Consumers will have to consider the pros and cons of electronics as they become more popular to society and utilizing the mindless entertainment.

PR Connection 7: Emirates Airline Incident Puts the PR People to Work

An Emirates flight from Dubai to Kerala’s Kochi city, carrying 375 passengers and crew on board, hit an air pocket at about 25,000 feet, lost control dropped about 15,000 feet. The incident took place at about 60 miles from the destinations, according to reporters. Gladly the plane eventually regained control and landed safely at its destination, but the number of injuries is still uncertain, with mixed information coming from media sources about the passengers hurt, and only one of the injured passenger was hospitalized.

One of the passengers commented after they landed, “Some of the passengers were shouting and crying for help. And for three minutes no one knew what was happening. Many were thrown out of their seats, some had their heads hitting the roof of the aircraft. A child was thrown out of the seat. We felt that everything was coming to an end.”

The aircraft safety measurements are still being investigated, but the aircraft supposedly experienced some bad weather in turbulence while flying over the Arabian sea. The public relations practitioners for this company need to come clean about facts that are missing from the story, or the airline company will lose many customers because of their loss of credibility.

People are already scared of airplanes enough, that occasional loss of control of the plane due to turbulence is not acceptable. Airplanes are suppose to be safer than driving in a car, but with incidents like these it makes people reconsider those types of facts.

PR Connection 6: Best Buy is Going Green

Best Buy Co., Inc. is a leading retailer store of consumer electronic. The company has set a target to collection 1 billion pound of old or obsolete electronics and appliances for recycling. Starting April 22, the company is asking consumers nationwide to pledge online to “Recycle It On,” encouraging increased used of its comprehensive, convenient recycling and trade-in programs. The goal of the project is to help increase responsible consumer action and capture a greater share of the current electronics waste stream.

Paula Prahl, Best Buy Co., Inc. senior vice president of communications, public affairs, and corporate responsibility states, “We believe our employees have the power to help people around the world live more sustainable, digitally-connected lives.”

On the public relations side of Recycle It On, they are having consumers pledge to recycle, and encourage others to do the same. They created a Facebook page for fans of the Best Buy campaign and more than 1 million fans have already joined. An application will feature a U.S. map, tracking the various types of items pledged state by state, as well as local store details to help users find their nearest Best Buy store to drop off items. Here is the application if you want to start a chain.

Some options that Best Buy gives you are:

• In-store electronics recycling where consumers can bring up to three items per day, per household, for recycling at any U.S. or Puerto Rico Best Buy store
• Recycling kiosks which are located at the front of every store where you can drop of ink cartridges, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CDs, DVDs, and PDA/smart phones
• Appliance and television haul-away, Best Buy will remove an old or obsolete appliance or television free of charge from a consumer’s home when a new product is purchased and delivered by Best Buy Home Delivery or Geek Squad Home Theater Installation Service
• Appliance and television pick-up, for $100 Best Buy will arrange a home visit to remove up to two appliance units and/or televisions for recycling, with $20 for each additional unit
• Tech Trade-In is a website to exchange select gently used electronics for a Best Buy gift card.

I give two thumbs up to Best Buy for coming up with this campaign project to go green! Everyone remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle!

PR Connection 5: Our Freedom of Speech is being Questioned

Google finally took the stance to embrace the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as they wholeheartedly decided to state that they are against censorship and are great supporters of freedom of speech. In other words, they are against governments that decide to block Google content or product, as such actions restrict freedom of speech. The article states that censorship is becoming a growing problem on the web and has been a rising issue for a very long time.

Bloggers are now being arrested and tons of people are fighting for online freedom of speech. Some of the blogs would talk about how censorship is wrong and abnormal despite the risk of seeing their blog shut down, being threatened or even arrested. And some people truly admire this public act against their rights taken away from freedom of speech.

The relationship between Google and the government consists of them seeing eye to eye on the details of a blog, and mutually deciding whether the blog should be removed or not. But now, Google as become a business hungry entity who would grant censorship wishes to governments who support their making money online efforts. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, because all companies use business strategies to make money and stay profitable. But by Google claiming they are a censorship fighting hero is nothing more than a tasteless PR stunt.

These issues are very real, as more governments ban and censor content and freedom of speech. Some stick to their guns and express their opinions openly which can come with severe consequences. So now it is Google’s turn to obtain the power and start a campaign to help those fighting for their right to voice opinions openly without the fear of backfires.

For more check out the story here

PR Connection 4: Delta and Braves Extend Their Partnership

On April 15th, Delta Airlines and the Atlanta Braves extended their partnership in which Delta will continue to serve as the team’s official airline. The two companies relationship began 40 years ago.

The terms of the deal will include, Delta providing exclusive team charters and an increased visual presence at Turner Field. Fans will also enjoy new marquis positioning of the Delta logo throughout the ballpark while taking pleasure in the extended lounge area inside the 755 Club called the Delta SKY360 Lounge. The new lounge will feature an exclusive menu, the airline’s in-flight cocktails, and a tower of televisions that will ari live games in addition to Delta content.

Tim Mapes, senior vice president of Delta marketing states, “Both companies strive to represent the best of our community throughout the U.S. around the world. By extending our relationship and partnering on this new space at Turner Field, we hope to enhance the game day experience and show Delta’s active support for the Braves and Braves fans alike.”

From the other side of things, Derek Schiller, Atlanta Executive Vice President of sales and marketing said, “We are proud to be continuing this relationship and look forward to their added presence in the Delta SKY360 Lounge, which will enhance our fans experience.”

Click here to read more

Before reading, here is some background information about both companies. The Atlanta Braves is a Major League Baseball franchise since 1991. Based in Atlanta since 1966, the Braves franchise is the longest continuously operating franchise in Major League Baseball. You can follow the braves on the Braves website.

Delta Air Lines Serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 355 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Delta employs more than 70,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of nearly 800 aircraft. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status’ in just a click on the Delta website.

Week Sixteen: Advice for First Time Bloggers April 25, 2010

Here are a list of tips that I would offer for first time PR student bloggers:

1. Make your blogs simple and to the point. Write the way that you talk to your friend by making sure not to use excessive jargon. Express your ideas clearly and try not to cram too many ideas into one blog. Remember they should be easy to read and comprehendible. Also, be sure that your blog is structured properly, especially if you are making several points, make sure to use bullets or numbers them. Doing this makes your blog easier to scan and more readable.

2. Have a consistent writing style. By doing this you are allowing your readers to connect with you better because they will know what to expect. It is also fun reading comments that people leave about your blogs, so I would recommend you try to connect with as many people as possible so you can receive comments.

3. Make sure to be current with your blogs as well as accurate. No matter what it is you choose to write about, it is of great importance that you stay current with your topic. By writing about current topics, you will maintain reader interest and your readers will obtain a closeness that is important when blogging.

4. LINKS make the blog what it is. Readers often feel that you have put effort into what the subject matter is if you include links that elaborate on the subject. Use links to make points because if you get stuck on how to explain something, a link may explain the subject enabling you to write much less, yet make the point you desire.

5. Keep on the topic. Although most of your assignments will tell you what to write about, try to write the blog from an angle that you love talking about and stayed focused on just that topic. Drifting out of topic will lose your readers quickly. So once you have defined a topic stick to it, and you’ll get many readers who come to your blog, and best yet will remain as faithful readers of your blog.

6. Edit your blog. People, people, people…no one likes to read run on sentences, grammar errors, or misspellings. With this website, you are able to spellcheck your blog before you publish it, so be sure to utilize the tools that are available to you. And even if you find an error after you publish the blog, you can always edit a post.

7. Make your own opinion. Instead of looking at other people’s blog, write yours first and compare it to others so you can see how they took a different approach on the topic. If you just look at other’s blogs then your ideas could get clouded by theirs and your original idea will be shunned because you thought differently than someone else.

8. Write with passion. In some of the assignment areas, you are able to blog about subjects that you find of interest. Use this to your advantage because readers can tell by the style of writing whether a person is just being lazy or if they really have a passion for what they are writing about. For example, if you love baseball find articles on how PR and baseball can be related and blog away about that topic.

9. Make sure that readers can tell what your keywords in the blog are. Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. But do make sure that the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.

10. Don’t just agree to agree. When you are commenting on other people’s blog posts, you have the option of agreeing with their statements or disagreeing. Don’t be scared to disagree with someone’s ideas, but be sure to back your points up with valid and appropriate comments so the person on the other side can see what point of view you are taking on the subject.

Week Fifteen: Social Media News Releases

What is a social media news release?

A social media news release, also referred to as a smart news release, makes it possible to insert a news release with high-resolution photos/graphics, video, and audio components. With these news releases, it is also possible to be downloaded by editors to accompany the story. A social media news release will include social media tags so the content can be circulated through social bookmarking sites to increase search engine rankings of the release and to drive targeted traffic to the organization’s website. The content of a social media news releases can be created in two different ways, the first being a more traditional narrative style or be deconstructed so that the core facts, quotes, and contact details are all individually segregated to allow users to disseminate its various elements.

When should a PR practitioner use a SMNR rather than a “regular” news release?

A public relations practitioner should consider using social media news releases because of two driving forces, the changing needs of the end consumer and increasing ease of use for the media. It is important that public relation practitioners adjust their message format and delivery to correspond with the needs of today’s web savvy audience. Another factor to consider is that editorial resources at many publications are running thin and they are expected to do more with less. Therefore, with the new wave of social media news releases, public relation practitioners provide links to additional resources that are helpful for story research and they also package information into formats that are easy to use for quotes and citing references and statistics. In brief, a well written and produced SMNR will make it easier for a journalist to write the story they are given in a format that is increasingly popular with end consumers.

Three links to websites/ blogs that discuss SMNRs.

How to write a Social Media Press Release, Why, and What It All Means

Social Media Press Release Distribution- Best for social networking WiredPRNews.com

The Evolution of Social Media Press Release Distribution and Technorati Tags

Points to think about when creating a social media news release:

1. Include links to pages where multiple instances of your key words/ phrases reinforce your message.
2. Place terms in key positions like headlines and first paragraphs
3. The first paragraph must summarize the five W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) because it is fact that most readers will give up if they haven’t hooked them in the first few lines.
4. Distribute a release through a service that carries hyperlinks to downstream sites such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL News, and Netscape.
5. Get a quote from someone who has reviewed your product or used your services.
6. Tell the truth, and just the truth. Do not make false claims because you will get busted.
7. Avoid saying something is “unique” or “the best”. Instead, show how people will benefit- i.e. save time, save money, make their life easier
8. Link, link, link. Optimize links for search engine visibility. Make sure to link back to a landing page or newsroom at your website. Include links to related information at other pages on your website.
9. Post content in multiple channels. In addition to including multimedia elements in your social media news release, post components of your release.
10. Incorporate interactivity. Engage in a conversation with the media and customers by providing a way for them to comment or ask questions
11. Whether using a template approach or a traditionally written press. release enhanced with multimedia and social media elements, make sure each component or section of the release can stand-alone.

Week Fourteen: Five Steps to Multimedia Storytelling

During the NewsU course ,5 Steps to Multimedia Storytelling, I learned about sketching a concept for a story and found that to be an interesting part of the course, so I will elaborate on what that consists of.

• What I learned? Making a storyboard

1. Before heading out to report your story, it is a good idea to create a storyboard. This can help you define the parameters of a story with available resources. You can organize, focus, and identify any holes of a story. It also helps you decide which medium to use for each part of the story.

2. Identify the media by deciding which pieces of the story work best in each medium. Here are some mediums that you can use as a pr practitioner, video, animated graphics, audio, maps, text,  and photography.

3. Finally, storyboard the concept. On a sheet of paper, sketch out the main story page and the elements it will include. Then do the same for the other “inside” pages in your overall story. A rough storyboard doesn’t have to e high art – it is simply just a sketch. And it isn’t written in stone, its just a guide. You may change things after you go into the field to do your interview and other reporting.

• What surprised me?

I was actually surprised at the fact that once completing a few multimedia stories, one should consider creating more than one story template so that the readers won’t be bored with a predictable format. Although I understand that repetitiveness can cause the mind to bore, I also thought that following the same format was appropriate because your readers become comfortable with that type of style so their minds won’t be challenged.

• What I want to know more about?

I would like to learn more about the how and the effects that multimedia will have on our career as a PR professional and on the audiences that we are trying to reach. Will this be the new way to receive news? Are newspapers just going to stop being distributed? It is nice to know the statistics that the multimedia is up against so while I am in college, I can become more educated in writing for that type of media as opposed to the more traditional way of newspapers. Each medium requires a different type of format, and it would be nice to know which ones we should become familiar with.